RPI, Clarkson skate to 2-2 tie

J.S.CARRAS/THE RECORD Clarkson’s Will Fredrick (37) attempts to poke the puck away from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Bo Dolan (11) during the first period of Saturday’s ECAC game at Houston Field House in Troy.

TROY >> Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been consistent in home-ice ties this hockey season; should have won them all.

The Engineers were the better team against rival Clarkson on Saturday night but had to settle for a 2-2 ECAC Hockey deadlock.

Clarkson defenseman Kevin Tansey tied the score from the mid slot with 7:40 remaining in the game after RPI failed on several chances to clear the puck, then the Engineers had several chances to gain a victory in overtime but couldn’t slide, push, or chip the puck past Clarkson sophomore goaltender Greg Lewis.

Jacob Laliberte put in his own rebound for the first goal early in the second period and Ryan Haggerty netted his 24th goal to break a 1-1 tie with 2:16 remaining in the second.

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The deadlock leaves the Engineers with a 7-8-5 ECACH record and keeps them in seventh place, two points head of eighth-place Brown and three points ahead of ninth-place St. Lawrence. The Engineers play at Brown on Friday night, then conclude the season at Yale on Saturday night. If they beat Brown, the Engineers will clinch a home-ice berth in the preliminary round.

The Engineers (13-13-6 overall) nearly scored from a six-player scrum in front of the Clarkson net in the closing seconds of overtime, then the Golden Knights (10-9-1, 17-14-3) broke out with a eerily-sudden 3-on-1 into the RPI zone.

Junior defenseman Chris Bradjley was that ONE for the Engineers and he went down to block Troy Josephs’ cross-ice pass attempt, else Engineers goalie Scott Diebold would have had to make another brilliant save.

With about three minutes remaining in regulation, Diebold gloved a point-blank chip shot by Clarkson center Matt Zarbo to keep the game tied.

“I didn’t like the last seven minutes, obviously,” said RPI coach Seth Appert, “but I think was a terrific college hockey game. Two teams that probably weren’t real happy with the way they played Friday (both lost 4-0, RPI to St. Lawrence, Clarkson at Union), two teams that naturally dislike each other anyway and I thought the level of competitiveness, tenacity, goaltending at both ends, I just thought it was a tremendous college hockey game.

“The only thing I didn’t like,” Appert continued, “was, after we took that penalty (with 10:12 remaining in overtime) and they tied it (shortly after the penalty expired), we just kind of ran around a little bit for that last seven minutes. But credit to our guys, we got it back again and we were strong in overtime.”

Rensselaer defenseman Bo Dolan was deep -- at the goal line actually -- with 20 seconds to play in overtime, as the Engineers buzzed the Clarkson net. He had the puck.

“I was whacking at it,” Dolan said, “unfortunately, it didn’t go in. The goalie (Greg Lewis) actually hit it, it went straight up. I grabbed it, put it back down (on the ice) but by that time, there were too many (Clarkson) guys there.”

Then, those Clarkson guys took off -- toward the other end of the ice -- but Bradley came up big.

“I knew I had to make a big play,” Bradley said. “I saw the clock and there was 10 seconds left, so I figured I had to lay it all out there. Knowing (an opposing player) is on the backside and there’s a back-door opportunity there, as a D-man, your job is to take away the pass and let Scotty take the shot. I just laid down and did my job.”

On an RPI power play, Laliberte shot from high in the right circle, skated to his own rebound in the mid slot and fired it past Lewis.

Joe Zarbo tied the score 1-1 with a goal at 9:20.

Late in the period, Mike Zalewski, Brock Higgs, Haggerty and Craig Bokenfohr did an excellent job forechecking and forced a turnover along the rightside boards.

Bokenfohr grabbed the loose puck and chipped it to Higgs toward the blue line.